The Brotherhood Dissolution
Backround The Great War The Brotherhood formed in early January 2011, in the Minecraft Beta, as a 4-man faction on Stuntdawg's community server. Originally KatsDamoto, Mangerman, Musthavename and Poach, the faction quickly grew to include Stuntdawg5, Danny_K_1, StealthEvo and Ascarona. Styx would later join as a vassal in her own faction Purayah. The Brotherhood built their first ever Citadel, whose name every Brotherhood main base has borne since, and created their Eagle icon that has remained to this day. The first test of the faction came in The Great War, where, outnumbered 3 to 1, the Brotherhood fought against the Dwarves, Aeseth, Dorwinion, and a host of smaller states. Only Bretonnia, the Aussie faction, fought alongside the Brothers, and with their radically different timezone the two forces rarely fought united. The Brothers fought, though, winning more than they lost, causing more casualties than they took. It wasn't until the vast array of factions united into a single faction, the United Empire, that the Brotherhood knew serious defeat. Throughout the war the Brotherhood grew, as members of the opposition tired of never ending defeats and raids, switching sides. Remlap joined the Brotherhood at this time, formerly a Captain of the enemy armies. Mallard too was briefly a Brother. Others joined Bretonnia. The war ended on a White Peace, after some 6 weeks of daily battles, neither side able to make the other surrender. Back then, there was no manpower, no rules to finish a war. Neither side would concede they'd lost, so a White Peace it was. The server ended, restarted to rekindle interest. This failed. A number of servers were hosted and disbanded, with the Brotherhood acting as Sparta on one, the Blackwood company on another, keeping largely the same members all the while. Mangerman wasn't in Sparta, Poach wasn't in Blackwood, but these factions were often short-lived as the servers quickly died. First Official Server The Brotherhood returned in glory to the Official Server, claiming the busy West as their homeland, and building some great marvels of the server's geopolitical landscape, all encompassed within the Brotherland. The Great Wall, controversial and lengthy, marked the eastern border, and great seas marked the western, southern and northern borders. The Citadel and surrounding town attracted many tourists, who were either escorted out or killed. Fort Stunt II was a marvellous bastion, and Eagle Point played host to many memorable events. New Brothers came during this time. Skitz and Lewis, Legio and Beli, Wolfbane, Elfdude and Tycorp. Others, too, came and went: COGlory and The_Dutch_Devil. Remlap and Katsumoto were outside for a time, but returned before long. The League War saw the Brotherhood tested again. Outnumbered again, attacked again. Though off to a bad start, the Brotherhood recovered, launching Operation Eagle's Claw, the great July Offensive. Winning a string of victories, the Brotherhood made Byzantium officially apologise for starting the war, and a white peace followed with the rest of the Leaguemen nations. Historians would later agree the war was generally a Brotherhood victory, at least as far as Byzantium's apology was concerned. Once more the Brotherhood returned to quietness, content behind their Wall. Another server restart came, and the Brotherhood went with it. Second Official Server So came the third and final incarnation of the Brotherhood. A great Citadel was once again built, a great Wall once again thrown around the core region. Ex-Leaguemen Benz and Skivvies came during this time, and new faces 47, Chelsero and SonofPeverel were inducted. The time of the Brotherhood was ending, however. Many of the League War veterans had tired, moved on, stopped playing. Fewer and fewer remained active, and those that remained knew it was time. The brief Dwarven - Brotherhood War with the Dwarves and Etat De l'Or was fought, ending by mutually agreed White Peace after a one-sided and badly implemented Moderation ceasefire. Dissolution Following the Dwarven-Brotherhood War, a period of reflection was entered into. The Brotherhood gathered in the End, meeting in their Fortress in the Stars , to discuss the future. Many Brothers had been inactive prior to the war, heeding the call to arms and fighting for the Eagle only through pride and brotherly spirit, but who now looked at retirement once more from Minecraft. The debate was brought up: what did the future hold for the Brotherhood? Recruiting fresh faces? Accept the loss of stature and become a minor faction? Disband entirely? The third option was seen to be the answer: let the Brotherhood part ways with their heads held high. Their mettle had just been tested, and held; their reputation was unsullied; their great wealth, territorial holdings and influence undamaged. Let them not fade ignominiously into obscurity, weakness and eventual collapse: an unfitting end for such a glorious band of brothers. So it was that the Brotherhood ended their conclave, resolved that it was the last of its kind. Some went to Vaenor, some went to the short-lived Blackwood Mercenary Company, many stopped playing completely. The time of the Brotherhood had passed. The whole server mourned the loss of The Brotherhood as a faction and showed their support on the forums: even those who had just recently been bitter foes had good words to say and well-wishing for the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XqzZuXowOXU